About Me — Isis B.
A resilient dreamer on the way to becoming a best-selling author.
At 16, my world flipped upside down. My dad was sent to prison, my mom remarried, and my closest companion — my big sister — left for college, leaving me feeling abandoned. My once safe and stable world was quickly collapsing.
I started acting out in ways I didn’t fully understand, trying to cope with all the change.
My mom, bless her heart, managed to save up enough for a single therapy session. In that session, the therapist made a suggestion that would change my life: journaling.
In a last-ditch effort to find some hope, I tried it. I wrote a letter and a list of questions to my future self, imagining what my life would be like. I planned to revisit those questions 20 years later, in 2031, but fate had other plans.
I found my journal on my 18th birthday and started answering those questions year by year. What began as a one-time exercise became my annual tradition, and here we are, updating the answers for 2024.
Without further ado, here’s an interview with my 16-year-old self as we reflect on how far we’ve come and where life has taken us.
Where do we live now?
Well… your worst fear came true: after mom got married, we moved to the boonies — Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It was a tough adjustment, and you hated it. But after six months, Momma realized how miserable you were and let you move back to Mobile, AL, to live with Grammy for your senior year. That year with Grammy was healing in ways you can’t yet appreciate.
After graduating high school, you made a series of moves: first to Atlanta, Georgia, then to Dallas, Texas, followed by stints in Mexico City and Buenos Aires. Now? You’re back in Dallas, but not for long. You’re preparing for an exciting move to Washington, D.C. soon! Life has become a whirlwind of changes and adventures, and you’ve learned to embrace it. You’re brave now. I’m so proud of you.
Did we marry him?
Who? Oh, him?! Hell no! Short story: time revealed the truth. Long story: your “prince charming” cheated on you, got someone pregnant, and by the time he was 19, he had five kids with four different women. Shocking, right? But don’t cry about it — you’ll eventually laugh at the fact that it was just a case of puppy love.
Wanna know the biggest plot twist? You keep your heart open. You’ll meet someone soon and not in the way you expected.
After graduating college, you’ll go on a celebratory trip to Puerto Rico and meet a guy on vacation. You’ll fall in love and get married. Yes, you live with a boy now. Spoiler alert: it’s not gross!
You guys have a garden, you binge-watch Harry Potter movies, and the house is always clean. You even pray together every day. The life you’re living now might sound boring to your 16-year-old self, but trust me, this will soon become your definition of happiness.
Oh, and your new last name is Bradford. Mrs. Bradford. Sounds very fancy and Gossip Girl, right?
What college did we choose — The University of Alabama or Howard University?
Neither! You ended up at Georgia State University. I know it isn’t even on your radar now, but by 18, Atlanta will be calling, and you’ll crave a big-city experience. Atlanta is the perfect place to learn yourself, and you’ll love it there.
Oh girl, I almost forgot to tell you: After GSU, you’ll get accepted to Harvard University for grad school! Yup, little ole you — the same girl who cries over failing German 2 years in a row! But before you get too excited, I have to let you know that you didn’t even like the program. You’ll decide to drop out, which may sound like a failure to you right now, but trust me, it was one of the most intentional decisions you ever made. Instead of staying in a program that didn’t resonate with you, you pivoted. You earned your marketing certification from Harvard Extension, and now you’re enrolled in a communications program at Johns Hopkins. So, don’t sweat it — you’ll finally learn to listen to your gut, and that is the real win!
Do you like being a famous surgeon?
Oh, honey… you’re a writer now! You were on the path to becoming a surgeon until your senior year of college, when an actual angel — in the form of a random man on the street — approached you and said, “God told me to tell you to become a kindergarten teacher.” Sounds bizarre, I know. But you took it as a sign and switched majors.
After becoming a teacher for a few years, you realized teaching wasn’t your forever path either. You used your teaching experience to start a creative consulting business. During that time, you discovered your passion for writing. You landed a book deal, and now you’re a travel writer with a second book deal! You’ve embraced your creative side in ways you never imagined.
And while you’re not a famous surgeon, you have spoken on stages in front of thousands of people. You’ll even give a keynote on productivity and ADHD to an audience of 5,000. (Oh yeah, you’ll get diagnosed with ADHD soon, it that’ll explain everything you’re feeling now) And if that’s not cool enough, you’ll appear on Family Feud three times and film a series with Ebony Magazine!
Have we gone to Germany?
Nope, we haven’t made it to Germany yet, and you should probably know that obsession fades pretty quickly after high school. You’ll drop German and fall in love with Spanish instead. And boy, does it open doors for you!
Learning Spanish allows you to travel solo to places like Cuba, Guatemala, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Mexico, and Spain. You’ll fall in love with these cultures and feel deeply connected to the sense of community you find there.
Soon, you’ll be learning French, too, and you’ll treat yourself to a month-long tour of the South of France. Life is full of surprises!
Anything else I should know?
Yes! There are a few things worth mentioning:
Your relationship with your stepdad: Over time, you’ll come to love and appreciate him deeply. He steps up in ways you didn’t expect and becomes an incredible father figure.
Friendships: Your childhood best friends won’t be in your life forever, but you’ll build an amazing community of people who support, love, and celebrate you.
Understanding your roots: Mobile, AL seems lame now, but once you leave, you’ll see it with sober eyes. Growing up in a city where the last known slave ship, the Clotilda, was smuggled into the United States and Black stories were silenced will fuel your passion for amplifying underrepresented voices. As a travel writer, you’ll explore the world through a lens of creativity, personal growth, and authenticity. Your second book, Rising from the Rut, helps people get unstuck in life. Your history inspires so much of what you do now!
Finally, I want you to know that you’re not just okay — you’re more than okay. Life will be hard at times, but you’ll grow into a strong, grounded woman who knows her worth and lives a life full of love, joy, and adventure.
So, here’s to you, 16-year-old me. You’re going to do amazing things, even if the path isn’t what you imagined.
Stay curious, stay bold, and keep writing in that journal. The best is yet to come.
If you’re ready to…
- Bust out of creative ruts and get back to doing what you love
- Find your purpose and live it loud
- Brace yourself for the wild, unpredictable ride that is the creative journey.
- Cook up cool ways to bring your big ideas to life
- Have a hype friend who’s always cheering you on
- Learn how to confidently pivot when life throws you a curveball
- Get inspired to chase your dreams and live audaciously
… then, we should be internet friends!
On my Substack,
Creativitea, I spill the tea on real, raw lessons from my creative journey — everything from planning solo creative residencies to negotiating book advances and being your own publicist while building an online brand!
My mission is to inspire you to live boldly, grow authentically, and create a life filled with purpose and joy.
